Market testing pre-print stories

CP reports:

Reporters at the Chicago Tribune newspaper say they believe the marketing department solicited subscribers' opinions in recent weeks on stories before they were published, a practice they said raises ethical questions, as well as legal and competitive issues.

An email signed by 55 reporters and editors, sent Wednesday to editor Gerould Kern and managing editor Jane Hirt, questions why the newspaper was conducting the surveys and what stories were used. They also wanted to know which readers were surveyed and whether any story had been altered as a result of reader comment.